1. Field of Invention
The invention relates to a keyless, lightweight plastic saxophone comprising a body with eight finger holes, coupled at its most narrow end to a single-reed mouthpiece and open at the opposite end, capable of being mass produced inexpensively and in various keys.
2. Description of Prior Art
The brass saxophone, used in marching bands and in many areas of popular music, was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. According to some music historians, the instrument was created by placing a bass clarinet style mouthpiece, to which a single reed was fastened by a metal ligature, onto a conically shaped brass horn called an ophicleide. The sound is produced when a performer vibrates the reed, generating a standing wave inside the instrument. Individual musical notes are produced through the manipulation of a system of metal keys and sprung rods, which open or close various tone holes along the length of the body, with the use of leather pads, and thereby intersect the sound wave at specific points to produce a desired pitch.
The modern saxophone family includes seven members: the sopranino in Eb, soprano in Bb, Alto in Eb, Tenor in Bb, Baritone in Eb, Bass in Bb, and Contrabass in Eb. Historically, the family has also included instruments pitched in C and F. All members of the family are produced in a curved configuration resembling the letter xe2x80x9cJ,xe2x80x9d and some of themxe2x80x94the sopraninos, sopranos, altos and tenorsxe2x80x94are also produced in straight models.
The saxophone is unusual among musical instruments in that it has remained largely unchanged since its invention. Keys have been added to facilitate the playing of certain notes, and improvements have been made in such areas as the octave key, pads, and tone hole configurations, but the basic model endures. Today, the modern saxophonexe2x80x94most always made of brassxe2x80x94includes hundreds of individual parts and requires thousands of different manipulations before it is ready for playing.
The numerous parts and manipulations necessarily make the saxophone relatively expensive, and in the 1960s a plastic saxophone (the Grafton) was produced to offer an instrument which would be more affordable than one made of brass. The experimental saxophone, using metal pad cups, rods, and springs affixed to a plastic body, was limited to a production of sixty instruments, before the manufacturer went out of business. History does not record the invention or production of a keyless plastic saxophone.
Saxophones have also been made from bamboo, and today these instruments are manufactured by hand in tropical areas of the world where bamboo is in great abundance. Such instruments are usually made only in limited quantity, since they require great labor by individual artisans, and they are also subject to intonation problems, and related problems involving pitch, since they lack the quality control assured by modern manufacturing processes.
Various instrument makers and sellers whose instruments are comprised of a saxophone mouthpiece and attached reed coupled to a cylindrical body of plastic or wood have put forth claims that their instrument is a type of saxophone. Such instruments are not saxophones, however, since they lack a conically shaped bore. They are, instead, clarinets, or more accurately, chalameaus (folk clarinets which were first invented during the Renaissance).
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a saxophone that would be affordable even to those of modest means. By eliminating the need for an expensive metal body, keys, rods, pads, springs, and other costly components of the traditional saxophone, the keyless plastic saxophone can be produced entirely by the extrusion process, thus eliminating the many man-hours needed to assemble a traditional saxophone and making it affordable to individuals with limited resources. At the same time, the keyless plastic saxophone""s simple construction makes it extremely durable, as there are no moving parts to wear out.
Also, this invention offers a portability that is not possible in a traditional instrument. While the Bb plastic soprano saxophone, for example, weighs approximately ten ounces, a metal soprano weighs up to three pounds. In addition, the plastic saxophone""s lack of delicate key work and pads allows it to be transported without requiring the kind of unwieldy and heavy case which is necessary to protect a traditional saxophone from damage.
Moreover, the keyless plastic saxophone is an ideal instrument for students of the recorder who desire a more sophisticated sound without having to relearn new lingering patterns and master a difficult system of keys, pads, and rods like those found on woodwind instruments such as the saxophone, flute, clarinet, and oboe. Since the keyless saxophone""s fingerings are based on those of the recorder, students will find little difficulty in making the transition from the former to the latter. Additionally, the keyless saxophone is easily manipulated by children and adults with small hands, and its light weight, also, greatly increases its manageability for all individuals.